Graduations & Vacations Part 3

On Day 5 we drove down to Delta, Utah.  This is where both of my parents are from so I have tons of relatives there including my only living grandparent, my maternal Grandma.  My brother, Kirt, and his family also live there.  My niece Fiona was graduating from Delta High School on this day.  I forgot my camera so the only photos I got were from my phone, which aren't the best, and then I "borrowed" a couple others in order to tell the story.

There was around 150 students in the graduating class

There she is!

With us! 

(As you will notice my family consists of short people)

My Grandma, My Dad, Fiona, My Mom

After the ceremony everyone showed up at my brother's home for cake & ice cream and so that Fiona could open her gifts.  It was really nice seeing everyone!  I hadn't seen that part of my family in over a year.  I was so happy to spend some time with my awesome grandma!

On Day 6 we left my grandmother's house and drove down to Cedar City, Utah where my children live, so that we could attend my daughter's graduation from Canyon View High School.  However, we had a little excitement while traveling.  

While driving between Hinckley and Milford we were passed by a car going 75 to 80 mph on a road where we had to slow down for antelope on the road.  A few minutes later we were passed by another car.  And then a couple minutes after that I saw a bunch of dust up ahead off the road.  I knew one of those cars had gone off the road.  As we pulled up we realized it was the first car that had passed us and the other car's driver was waving us down to stop (which I was planning to do anyway).  As we saw the car way off the road in the desert, I had the sinking feeling there would be a fatality. It had flipped many times and there were car pieces and personal belongings everywhere. It really did not look like someone could survive, and if they did they would have had to been seriously injured.  I was dreading what we would find. 

DH and the other guy ran over to the car while I called 911.  For some reason I was the only one with phone reception.  By the time the guys got to the car, there was a woman trying to climb out of the window.  They assisted her after making sure she didn't have back or neck injuries.  They also made sure no one else was in the car or had been thrown from the car.  Thank goodness this girl seemed to be coherent. While they were carrying her over to the other driver's car, I was informing 911 about the accident.  We were able to get this girls name and found out she was just 19 years old and was coming from Tooele heading to St. George.  It was about 10:45 a.m. and she says she doesn't remember why she ran off the road.  In assessing her, she only complained of her foot hurting.  It seemed to be broken.  But other than that there was no blood, no other noticeable injuries.  She was in shock of course and felt sick but she never lost consciousness.  

She is very lucky to be alive!  When the police and the emergency personnel arrived they were also amazed that she was alive.  The Sheriff said that cars in this type of accident and in this condition usually are fatalities.  While we were waiting for the emergency people to arrive I had spent time picking up her personal belongings that were thrown all over the place.  I found her wallet, her cell phone, clothes, shoes, CD's, makeup and a picture of her family.  She asked me to call her mom which I did but only got her voice mail.  When the Sheriff arrived I gave all of this stuff to him.  While they were preparing the girl for the ambulance ride  we had to fill out our reports of the accident.  And then we were on our way again.  Still to this day I think of how lucky this girl was to be alive.  I don't know if she had any other injuries besides a broken foot, but she had to have been pretty sore for several days at least.  I am also thankful we were able to help in her time of need.  Thankful to God for protecting this girl.  

We continued on towards Cedar City where I had scheduled us to spend two days.  After checking into our hotel and settling in for a bit, we picked up my son Jessie and took him to dinner and then off on some Geo-caching adventures.  He was still in school so we only had just that evening to see him.  We had a great time even with it being short-lived.  

Day 7 was scheduled to meet up with my daughter, Shellise, for lunch in between her graduation practice and the actual graduation.  I was pleasantly surprised when she arrived with some extra people in tow including her grandma and cousin on her dad's side, as well as her biological mom (whom I haven't seen since Shellise was born) and her biological maternal grandma.  So with them as well as Jessie, my parents and us there was a bit of a crowd at this tiny sandwich shop we infiltrated.  We ate, visited, exchanged gifts and took some photos.  It was a nice way to spend time with everyone.  Here are a few photos from the lunch...

My two cute kiddos

I love the look on her face after seeing the diamond necklace we gave her

That's my beautiful girl

Shellise with her cousin Brittany and her Grandma

Biological Mom and Grandma

Biological Mom

It's nice we can all be together for this important event

My Handsome Boy!

So Sweet!

The other half of the table including my parents

Excited about another gift 

Funny cute girl

It was such an amazing time spent with everyone during lunch.  It all went so much better than I ever thought it would.  Thanks Shellise for making this time so special!

After lunch and before graduation, we took my parents to the cemetery so we could place some flowers on the graves of my grandma's sister and husband.  After all, it is Memorial Day coming up!

My parents

Later on this day we arrived at the graduation ceremony.  I am posting several photos of my beautiful girl at her high school graduation....

I just love the color of the cap and gown

All Grown Up!

(sniff-sniff)

Mother and Daughter

Shellise with her Grandma's

Shellise with her Grandpa (my dad)

I LOVE this picture!  

Pomp and Circumstance

It's official!  She is a High School Graduate!

I am SO proud of her!

Friends

Shellise and her best friend Kaitlyn

Friends

After Graduation

Ya... she really is all grown up! 

The graduation ceremony was really nice!  Shellise played the viola for the last time with her orchestra (sad), and then it was all over (sad for me).  I can't believe she is all graduated.  Where have the years gone?  I am old!

Right after graduation the senior class was getting on some buses that would take them to Disneyland for their senior trip.  Prior to leaving the PTA had ordered drug sniffing dogs to make sure there were no students who were packing drugs.  They didn't expect to find one of the bus drivers with drugs in his system as well as packed in his bags.  You can see the story HERE.  Scary!

So thankful for God's hand in keeping a watchful eye over my daughter, as I pray for everyday.  She was protected and was able to enjoy a fun Disneyland trip with her senior class.  We are so blessed!  

God sure has been busy watching out for our youth this week!  

Shellise and her friend Kaitlyn had a really fun AND SAFE time on the bus after this incident.

My daughter has reached some major milestones this year - Turning 18, graduating from High School, and preparing for college.  She left my nest a couple years ago to live with her dad, but I still feel that empty nest feeling every day.  Does it ever go away?  

I am so proud of Shellise and all of her accomplishments.  I look forward to see where life takes her.  She has some terrific plans for her future and I hope it all works out the way she hopes it will.  But no matter where she goes, no matter what she does, I hope she will always remember that I love her and will always be here for her with open arms.  Love you Bug!

After seeing Shellise off, we all went our separate ways.  She to Disneyland, the rest of the family back to their homes, and us back to our hotel where we prepared for our departure.  Because the next morning we left Cedar City for Bryce Canyon.  I will write about that part of our trip on my next post.  So check back soon!

But before I go... since this post is about graduations... I thought I would post a couple pictures of my degree that I received recently after my graduation.  

See you back here soon!